A hoarse sigh escaped my lips, dragging me back to reality. It was fun while it lasted, but I'm done entertaining this delusion. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, forcing the memories back where they belonged.
There, all better.
I calmly turned towards Lily. She was staring at a basketball with a faraway look on her face. I took a few steps closer to her and gently tapped her on the shoulder. She flinched, then stared up at me with wide eyes. I dramatically put both my hands in the air.
"Geez, I'm not here to kidnap you or anything. It's just me."
Her ragged breathing gradually calmed as she continued staring at me. She blinked a couple of times, then hastily broke eye contact with me. She awkwardly scratched her cheek.
"O-oh, sorry about that. Hahaha…"
My gaze narrowed. Before she could do anything else, I quickly reached for her cheek and pinched it. She snapped out of her daze and glared at me with a look that told me, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"Enough about this remembering stuff, it doesn't matter anymore. So, how about it? Do you wanna go for a round?"
She aggressively stomped her way to me and pushed her finger on my chest.
"You're on! If I win, I want sushi!"
"Since when did we start betting?"
"Since now, duh."
"Okay, then what do I get if I win?"
She crossed both her arms and gave me an incredulous look.
"Uhhh, what the hell are you talking about?"
I let out a baffled scoff.
"What do you mean, 'what are you talking about'?"
"What I mean is, why are you asking what you get if you win? You obviously get nothing."
"Where is the fairness in that?"
"Fairness? What fairness? I'm your little sister! You should be spoiling me for god's sake, not the other way around! What kind of older brother makes his LITTLE sister treat him to something?!"
She's just making up a bunch of new rules as we go. I can't help but wonder who raised her this way. It definitely wasn't our parents– Whoever that man is… he's being a bad influence on her!
While my mind was thinking this, I sighed in resignation. There was no winning this uphill battle.
"Fine, whatever, if you win, I'll get you sushi."
"What, really?!"
A devilish smirk crept up my face.
"Yes, really. IF you actually win."
Lily puffed her chest.
"Don't look down on me. Not to brag or anything, but I've gotten a lot better since the last time we played!"
"We'll see about that..."
We took our positions in front of the machine. She was on the left side, and I was on the right. I selected the 2-player option and pressed start. The game was going to start in 3 seconds.
"3"
"2"
"1"
"GO!"
***
Lily's POV
The gates fell, causing the balls to start rolling down. I quickly grabbed hold of one of them and shot it towards the net. It bounced around the rim before going in.
Yes! One point!
I hurriedly went to grab the next ball, shot it, and grabbed the next one again. I was making two out of three shots. I can do it, I can actually do it! I can beat my Brother for once! Before I even realized it, the game had ended. I took a look at my points and saw that I had gotten 85.
85?! That's a new high score for me!
Riding this wave of euphoria, I turned towards my brother with a smug expression plastered on my face.
"How do you like that? 85 points."
"Wow, that's better than I thought you'd get."
He carried a tone as if he didn't care, which irked me a little. But he was going to regret that soon.
"What can I say, I'm a natural."
I let out an obnoxious sigh and shrugged my shoulders. I stretched my hand to him, my palm wide open.
"Well, I'll be taking my lunch money now."
Hoshino straightened his back and tilted his head to the side. This comically clueless look didn't suit him at all, which irritated me even more.
"What are you talking about?"
That was the last straw. A fiery heat flared in my chest, travelling through my body and into my head. Did this guy already forget his promise?! The nerve!!!
"What am I talking about?! No, what are YOU talking about???" I shouted.
I quickly stomped my way to him and slapped him on the shoulder.
"You promised me that you'd get me sushi! So, where is my sushi?!"
He let out a long, tired sigh.
What the hell does this guy have to sigh over?? I should be the one sighing!
"Yeah, I said I'd get you food IF you won… Idiot."
He looked towards the place where his points should be, and my eyes followed suit. There, I saw something that shouldn't have even been possible. My eyes went wide, and my mouth hung open like a fool. I felt like ripping my hair out in shame.
You've got to be kidding me!
There it was– the number of points he had. I rubbed my eyes, but the number stayed at 100. 100??? How is that even possible??! My brother was never good at these types of games before!
I turned to face him once more, frustrated that he had gotten the better of me. Once I did, I saw that he had that same smug face that I had just done a couple of seconds ago. I opened my mouth, wanting to give him a piece of my mind. But before the words could even come out, the sound of his laughter blared through the room. He clutched his stomach as he struggled to catch his breath.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA, SUCKERRRRR! YOU SNOOZE, YOU LOSE. HAHAHAHAHA."
I knew he was just being extra to get under my skin– and it was working. My cheeks flushed with a burning sensation. I clenched my teeth, holding back my shame.
I- I can't believe he just tricked me!
With nothing to vent my anger, I flailed my arms at my Brother.
"Wh-why didn't you say anything! That's not fair! You can't just do that!"
Hoshino lifted his head, tears coming from his eyes from how hard he was laughing. Seeing that smug expression of his annoyed me to no end.
"What was that? I can't do what? Win? HAHAHAHAHA."
He put both his hands on my head and started making a mess out of my hair.
"Awwww, is my sister madddd? I didn't know she was such a sore loserrrrr."
My irritation at this point had reached its limit. I stopped hitting him, but that didn't mean I was giving up. Instead, I grabbed him by the collar with both of my hands and started shaking him.
"You can't do this to me! You promised me sushi!!! I want my sushiiiiii!"
There was no winning in this situation. No matter what I did to him, Brother just kept laughing even harder. Does he think this is funny or something?! It's not funny to me!
"Lemme let you in on a little secret."
He let go of my hair and leaned in close to my ear.
"If you want sushi… just win next time! HAHAHAHAHA."
I felt a vein pop in my forehead. This little! I let go of his collar and shoved him away from me. He stumbled back a little, but it was nothing that'd make him trip. I kinda wished that he did, though.
My brother was out of breath from all that laughing, and so was I– just not from laughing. I haven't moved around like this in a long time. I'm tired. My brother seemed to have finally caught his breath. He got up, made his way towards me, and patted my head. I couldn't help but pout a little. I shook my head side to side to get his hand off me, but it didn't budge. I gave him a peeved glare.
"Hey-"
"Okay, okay, whatever, I'll get you the sushi."
I let a dramatic pause hang in the air before responding.
"What…?"
"What? Surprised? No, thank you. Wow, I see how it is. I guess no sushi for you then."
He backed away.
"NO!"
I flung myself towards him, burying my head into his chest. He seemed slightly embarrassed at first, but quickly hid it as if it wasn't there.
"You idiot, let go of me!"
He grabbed my head in an attempt to push me away, but I persisted, holding on for dear life. He could probably push me away if he wanted to, but I knew he wouldn't do that. That's one of the things he has and never will do to me.
"No! Not until I get my food!"
He clicked his tongue.
"I already said I'd get some for you, are you deaf or something?"
"No…"
In truth, I knew he was going to get me what I wanted anyway. As long as I complained just a little bit, he'd do it. It's the perks of being a younger sibling. I just wanted to mess around a little bit, and hug my Brother while I'm at it.
He let out a loud sigh that seemed to cut through my thoughts.
"Are you just using it as an excuse to hug me?"
"Oops, caught red-handed."
I looked up at him and let out a sheepish giggle. I felt a smile reach my eyes. I don't know what I looked like at that moment, but when he saw that, he gave up and hugged me back. I closed my eyes, basking in this warmth even for just a while longer…
"YOOOOO, is that who I think it is?"
Suddenly, a familiar voice reached my ears. Tsk, what terrible timing. I annoyingly looked in the direction it came from. Hoshino seemed to be looking in the same direction I was. I squinted my eyes as I stared into the distance. A familiar figure slowly came into view.
"Is that… Julie?!"